DOI: 10.4103/tjima.tjima_16_26 ISSN: 3050-6158

Assessment of Sexual Dysfunction and Sexual Satisfaction Among Male Patients with Alcohol Dependence

Maliyackal Ubaid, Varsha Vidyadharan, J. H. Nishanth
Show PDF Cite

Abstract

Background:

Alcohol dependence causes significant physical and psychological consequences, including impaired sexual functioning that remains under-assessed in clinical practice. Sexual dysfunction creates negative impacts on the quality of life and marriages, which leads people to avoid their medical care while making their condition worse. Despite its clinical importance, this area is insufficiently studied, and hence this paper investigates this vital but overlooked subject. It focuses specifically on the region of Kerala. This research aims to assess men with alcohol dependence and their sexual dysfunction while studying their sexual pleasure, marriage quality, and alcohol addiction level as well.

Materials and Methods:

A hospital-based cross-sectional study of 170 sexually active males (18–50 years) with international classification of disease-11 alcohol dependence was done. Purposive sampling was done after informed consent and institutional ethics committee approval. Data were collected via a semi-structured proforma. The following instruments were included: Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ) (dependence severity), Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) (sexual dysfunction; cutoff ≥19), New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS) short form (sexual satisfaction), and Marital Adjustment Test (MAT) (marital adjustment). Permission to use these scales was obtained wherever applicable. Statistical analysis involved descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and Pearson’s correlation (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences; P < 0.05).

Results:

The sexual dysfunction prevalence was 42.9% ( n = 73); erectile dysfunction was predominant (50.7%). The mean ASEX score was 14.1 ± 5.30. A significant positive correlation was observed for SADQ-ASEX ( r = 0.488, P < 0.001), and a significant negative correlation was observed for SADQ-NSSS ( r = −0.303, P < 0.001) and SADQ-MAT ( r = −0.280, P < 0.001). Sexual satisfaction was significantly lower in the dysfunction group (46.1 vs 74.9, P < 0.001). Marital distress was present in 52.2% of married participants. While marital adjustment was only assessed for the married cohort ( n = 159), sexual dysfunction was prevalent across the entire sample regardless of the marital status.

Conclusions:

People who struggle with alcohol dependence develop sexual problems, and their sexual functioning decreases, while their marriage relationships deteriorate, and these issues become more severe as their alcohol dependence grows. Alcohol dependence is strongly associated with sexual and marital distress. Addiction treatment must integrate sexual health screenings and couple-based interventions.

More from our Archive